DRS Technologies has revealed three new DRS Armor rugged tablets, with two entrants in the Armor X7 range. The company’s Tactical Systems division has introduced these devices based on customer input. And the 7-inch multi-touch rugged tablets offer users a choice between Android OS and Windows platforms.
The Armor X7et runs Windows 7 Professional and weighs just less than 1.5 pounds. With help from the Intel Atom Z670 processor, it reportedly provides about 6 hours of battery life. On the other end of the spectrum is the Armor X7ad running Android OS v3.2. Equally impressive, it features the 1GHz dual core, Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, weighs about 1.3 pounds and boasts a battery life of about 8 hours.
DRS also has on offer the Armor X12kb, a new convertible tablet. In addition to a 12.1-inch swivel touchscreen readable in sunlight, a spill-proof keyboard and a stealth mode, it features an Intel Core i5 processor and Windows 7 Professional.
“With the launch of these products, we responded to customer feedback and are capitalizing on our highly-successful Armor X7 compact rugged tablet form factor, launched last year. At the same time, we’ve addressed growing interest in the Android platform,” Mike Sarrica, president of Network and Communication Solutions (NCS) and general manager for DRS Tactical Systems, commented.
“Our new 7-inch tablets and the new 12-inch convertible tablet build on DRS’ many years of experience in developing mobile solutions for field service, manufacturing, transportation, public safety and other industries. They expand the capabilities of the Armor family of Rugged Mobile Solutions by meeting the evolving needs of today’s mobile enterprise,” Sarrica added.
Both the X7 tabs are certified to withstand a wide variation in temperature, vibrations and even drops from a height of 4 feet. In addition, they have an IP65 rating and thus are completely protected from dust. This also means that they can take low pressure water-jet punishment.
These three new DRS Armor rugged tablets all come with robust connectivity including GPS, Wi-Fi and Gobi Wireless Broadband options, although pricing details haven’t been divulged yet. ‘Rugged’ tablets seem to be making waves of late, and in April we heard about the Intel Studybook targeted at students.